This invention has to do with video games and the like where control of a cathode-ray tube display is by means of a "joystick". Generally, joysticks of the type under consideration move about X-Y axes to govern complementary display coordinates on a display screen. Control is by electrical contacts opened or closed by movement of the joystick about said X-Y axes to operate any one of four pairs of switch contacts, or simply to operate any one of four separate switches. A four-way switching arrangement in which there are four distinct switching conditions is one in which only one of four switches is operable at a time. However, there are situations in addition to the foregoing four switching conditions where adjacent switches on axes X and Y are simultaneously operable, in which case there are eight distinct switching conditions, and this being an eight-way switching arrangement. It is a general object of this invention to provide for mode changes in a video game joystick, by the use of a selectively positioned gate that restricts movement of the joystick and switch operation according to the mode desired, for example the aforesaid fore-way or eight-way switching modes as circumstances require.
The restrictive movement of the joystick is also controlled by the present invention to operate in either of the aforementioned four-way and eight-way modes of operation. To this end it is an object of this invention to provide selective gating by which the desired mode can be established. In practice, there is an eight-way mode determined by a first normal position of a control gate, and there is a four-way mode determined by a second alternate position of the control gate. The joystick unit with the gate as it is disclosed herein can be selectively conditioned into the desired mode of operation as circumstances require.
Typical joysticks of the type referred to above are gimbaled in right angularly related yokes supported upon axis pins, one yoke within the other, and with stops for limited movement applied in a surrounding cage. In accordance with the invention disclosed in the above referenced patent, there is the elimination of angular yokes, supporting gimbal pins, cages and the like, and with reliance entirely upon the joystick and support plate configurations having inherent movement limits for normal operation. The joystick is a straight member that can freely rotate, and that operates the switch contacts through a concentric cam which serves as a spring set held in place by a single snap ring or clip. A selectively positionable gate surrounds the joystick and controls its mode of operation from a normal eight-way mode to a four-way mode as circumstances require.